Coloring apps have become very popular in recent years as a fun and relaxing activity for both children and adults. With the wide variety of options available, you may be wondering if there are any good free coloring apps that you can download without having to pay. The good news is there are quite a few free coloring book apps that provide an enjoyable coloring experience without costing you anything. In this article, we will look at some of the top free coloring apps for different platforms and how they compare to paid options.
Top Free Coloring Apps
Here are some of the best free coloring apps to consider across various platforms:
Pigment – Adult Coloring Book
Pigment is one of the top-rated free coloring book apps available for iOS. It offers a wide selection of intricate adult coloring pages and an intuitive design optimized for mobile. Pigment provides various coloring tools like pencils, markers, and paint brushes. It also has features like layering for shading effects. While the app is free, there are optional in-app purchases to unlock more pages and tools.
Colorfy – Color by Number & Paint by Number
Colorfy is a popular free option for Android and iOS users. It has a large library of color by number pages and offers helpful numbering guides and suggestions to make coloring easier. Colorfy also provides a variety of coloring tools and the option to zoom in on details. Additional page packs can be purchased in-app but are not required to enjoy the app.
Colorfit – Drawing & Coloring Book
As a free coloring book app for Android, Colorfit provides access to over 4,500 coloring pages for free. It has categories for both children and adults. Colorfit allows you to color pages online or offline after downloading them. The tools are easy to use with options like a color wheel, paint bucket, and eraser. More drawing tools and features can be unlocked through in-app purchases.
Adult Coloring Book Free
Adult Coloring Book Free is a highly-rated free option for Android. It includes a large catalog of intricate anti-stress adult coloring pages. The app provides helpful color guides and realistic coloring tools like gradient pens and markers. Pages can be colored while online or offline. Additional pages, books, and color palettes can be accessed through in-app purchases.
Color Therapy – Coloring Book & Games
As a free coloring app for iOS, Color Therapy includes thousands of illustrations and mandala designs for adults. It has helpful features like a magnifying glass to zoom in on details and various coloring tools and palettes. Color Therapy also includes coloring games and ways to share finished pages. More content can be accessed through a subscription.
Key Features of the Best Free Coloring Apps
When looking for a quality free coloring book app, here are some of the top features to look for:
– Wide variety of designs and pages – The best free apps offer hundreds to thousands of pages so you always have something new to color. Variety in categories and difficulty levels is also ideal.
– Intuitive tools and controls – Easy to use coloring tools and the ability to zoom, layer, and undo are very helpful when coloring on a mobile device. Being able to color with your fingers or a stylus is also beneficial.
– Ability to color offline – Coloring pages that can be downloaded for offline use ensure you can enjoy the app anytime without an internet connection.
– Minimal ads – Excessive ads in a free app can be annoying. The best apps have minimal ads that don’t take away from the coloring experience.
– Sharing capabilities – It can be nice to share your finished coloring creations with friends and family. Free apps that allow easy sharing provide added value.
– Simple navigation – A straightforward and intuitive interface allows you to easily browse designs and start coloring right away in the free app.
– Adult and kid friendly options – Having both adult and child categories provides appeal to a wider audience.
Limitations of Free Coloring Apps
While free coloring apps provide plenty of benefits, there are some limitations to be aware of:
– Limited selection – Paid coloring apps usually offer a much wider range of pages and books to choose from compared to free versions.
– Basic tools and features – Many advanced tools like layers and color-by-number guides are only available in paid apps or require in-app purchases.
– Ads – Free apps often contain ads that can be disruptive to the coloring experience, while paid apps do not.
– Lack of cloud syncing – Many free apps don’t sync your progress across devices, requiring you to start over when switching devices.
– Less customization – There are usually fewer options for customizing your page, tools, and colors in free coloring book apps.
– No technical support – Paid apps often provide technical support for issues, while free apps generally don’t offer support.
Best Free vs. Paid Coloring Apps
Here is a comparison of some of the best free and paid coloring book apps:
| App | Platform | Free or Paid | Key Features |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pigment | iOS | Free | Hundreds of pages, good tools, layers for shading |
| Recolor | iOS, Android | Paid | Thousands of pages, great tools, color-by-number |
| Colorfy | Android, iOS | Free | Numerous basic pages, helpful numbering |
| Happy Color | Android, iOS | Paid | Large library, fun themes, color challenges |
| Adult Coloring Book Free | Android | Free | Quality pages, good tools, detailed pages |
| Colorfly | Android, iOS | Paid | Enormous selection, great features, creative tools |
As you can see, paid apps like Recolor, Happy Color, and Colorfly offer significantly more content and better features than the top free options. However, apps like Pigment and Adult Coloring Book Free provide a surprisingly robust coloring experience at no cost.
The Best Free Coloring App: Pigment
Overall, Pigment stands out as the best free coloring app available today. Here’s a summary of why it beats out other free competition:
– Huge library with new pages added weekly
– Pages are high quality and made for adults
– Layers allow for advanced shading, blending, and effects
– Intuitive tools are easy to use on a touch screen
– Minimal ads that don’t detract from coloring experience
– Easy to share finished pages on social media
– Designed specifically for mobile use
– In-app purchases optional for more content
While paid apps like Recolor have more features and pages, Pigment provides the most well-rounded experience of all the free coloring book apps. The expansive catalog, good tools, and adult-friendly designs make it a great choice if you don’t want to spend money.
Conclusion
Free coloring apps provide a nice affordable way to enjoy coloring on your smartphone or tablet. Leading options like Pigment for iOS and Adult Coloring Book Free for Android offer an extensive selection of pages, helpful features, and minimal ads at no cost. However, paid coloring apps tend to offer a wider array of books and pages, more advanced tools, and a smoother experience without ads. The best value comes from paid apps like Recolor and Happy Color when you want access to the largest libraries and features. But quality free apps like Pigment give you plenty of coloring fun without having to spend money in the app store. So check out one of the highly rated free coloring apps to save money over paid options.
